The present invention relates to a heat radiating structure of an interior member and its related method, and more particularly, to a heat radiating structure of an interior member and its related method wherein, in order to improve a temperature environment in a vehicle compartment of an automobile, attempt is made to release heat retained by an interior member, such as one represented by an instrument panel, to be re-radiated to the vehicle compartment and heat accumulated inside the interior member and to release heat filled inside the vehicle that is parking under the brazing sun.
A compartment inside a vehicle such as an automobile parking under an environment with the brazing sun reaches an extremely high temperature and, in measured examples conducted for a summer environment in Japanese territory, an air temperature inside the compartment reaches a value of approximately 70xc2x0 C. It is needless to say that improvement over displeasure in such a circumstance is earnestly expected.
As a measure to counter such high temperature and heat environment inside the compartment, heat exchange is to be achieved so as to cool air inside the compartment and, to this end, an air conditioning unit has been used in the past to lower the room temperature. However, during parking of the vehicle under the brazing sun, heat builds up on a surface of the interior member to cause the temperature inside the interior member to increase, resulting in a situation under which electronic component parts located inside the interior member, i.e., especially, inside the instrument panel, are exposed to the high temperature. Upon consideration of such a situation, there is a need for using the electronic component parts that have an excellent heat-resistant property, with becoming factors for increasing costs.
Further, a measure to counter the high temperature inside the interior member has been undertaken to have the electronic component parts wound with heat insulating material such as urethane form or resin felt.
Also, another proposal has been made to provide a structure wherein lowering the temperature inside the compartment allows the surface or the inside of the interior member to be cooled. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 9-295509 discloses a structure in which a solar battery is used as an electric power supply to achieve forced ventilation in the vehicle compartment.
However, upon careful studies undertaken by the present inventors, with the structure wherein such heat insulating material is applied to the electronic component parts inside the interior member, the heat insulating material merely plays a roll to delay the temperature rise, resulting in occurrence of no fundamental measure.
Further, with the structure in which the forced ventilation is performed inside the vehicle compartment using the solar battery as the electric power supply, it is required to newly install a relatively large-scaled apparatus on the vehicle, and such installation lacks actuality in view of installation method of the apparatus and a vehicle style while a marked tendency appears to provide a difficulty in practical use in view of increases in weight and cost. When taking consideration in view of the temperature rise in the vehicle compartment, ventilating air and improving a heat-exchange efficiency of air are low in efficiency to lower the room temperature, with a resultant a certain limitation in obtaining a desired result.
Therefore, in view of the analysis set forth above, approach has been undertaken again to conduct various analyses related to the radiation and reception of heat during parking of the vehicle under the brazing sun. Among these, although a technology of cooling air to be delivered to the vehicle compartment surely provides a certain effect, in order to more directly lower the temperature of vehicle compartment or the inside of the interior member, it is revealed to be important to pay attention to the occurrence in which the interior member, such as one represented by the instrument panel, absorbs the sunlight to cause a new heat source to be created. That is, it is thought that, unless heat retained by the interior member is radiated to the outside of the vehicle, it is hard to effectively preclude the temperature rise in the vehicle compartment or the inside of the interior member. Also, when taking a measure to counter the temperature rise in the vehicle compartment or the inside of the interior member, it is desirable to utilize the lowest possible use of power such as electric power because the vehicle stands in parking or halt state, and the use of a specific electric power supply, composed of the solar battery, is found to be undesirable in view of an increase in weight and cost. In any case, it is required for realizing a structure that enables utilization of the lowest possible power.
The present invention has been completed upon various studies conducted by the present inventors as described above and has an object to provide a heat radiating structure of an interior member and its related method wherein heat retained in an interior member, such as one represented by an instrument panel, is prevented from applying heal radiating to an inside of the interior member or from re-radiating heat to a vehicle compartment for preventing an increase in an internal temperature of the interior member when left under the brazing sun while making it possible to improve a temperature and heat environment in the vehicle compartment.
To achieve the above object, as one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a heat radiating structure of an interior member, comprising: a heat radiating portion adapted to be applied to a vehicle and disposed on a rear surface of an interior member whose surface is adapted to be applied with external energy; a heat receiving and radiating portion connected to a vehicle body of the vehicle; and a reflecting member allowing heat radiation, radiating from the heat radiating portion to an inside of the interior member, to be reflected and propagated to the heat receiving and radiating portion, the reflecting member cooperating with the heat radiating portion and the heat receiving and radiating portion to define a closed space.
Stated another way, as another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a heat radiating structure of an interior member, comprising: heat radiating means, adapted to be applied to a vehicle and disposed on a rear surface of an interior member whose surface is adapted to be applied with external energy, for radiating heat; heat receiving and radiating means, connected to a vehicle body of the vehicle, for receiving the heat radiated from the heat radiating means and radiating the heat to an outside; and reflecting means for reflecting heat radiation radiating from the heat radiating portion to an inside of the interior member to propagate the heat radiation to the heat receiving and radiating means, the reflecting means cooperating with the heat radiating means and the heat receiving and radiating means to define a closed space.
In the meantime, as another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of radiating heat from an interior member, the method comprising: performing heat radiation from a heat radiating portion located on a rear surface of an interior member adapted to be applied to a vehicle and having a surface applied with external energy; and receiving the heat radiation from the heat radiating portion and radiating heat to an outside using a heat receiving and radiating portion located in connection to a vehicle body of the vehicle, the heat radiation propagated from the heat radiating portion being reflected at a reflecting portion and propagated to the heat receiving and radiating portion, and the reflecting portion cooperating with the heat radiating portion and the heat receiving and radiating portion to define a closed space.
Other and further features, advantages, and benefits of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the following drawings.